USA – -(AmmoLand.com)- Acting United States Attorney Dennis R. Holmes announced that a Rapid City, South Dakota, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Possession of a Stolen Firearm and Receipt of a Firearm While Under Indictment.
Huya Smoke, age 19, was indicted on August 19, 2021. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Daneta Wollmann on August 25, 2021, and pled not guilty to the Indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to 10 years in custody and/or a $250,000 fine, three years of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
The charge stems from Smoke knowingly being in possession of a stolen 9mm semi-automatic pistol in Rapid City in April 2021. At the time, Smoke was also under indictment in Meade County, South Dakota. The charges are merely an accusation and Smoke is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
The investigation is being conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Rapid City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Patterson is prosecuting the case.
Smoke was detained pending trial. A trial date has not been set.
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives
ATF is the federal law enforcement agency responsible for investigating violations of the federal firearms and explosives laws and regulations. More information about ATF and its programs can be found at www.atf.gov.
Am I missing something? Why is this news worthy? Is there some backstory here I don’t know about?
If you steel something you are a thief. If you are in possession of stolen gear knowingly, then you are guilty of that also. Those laws have been on the books since Moses Looks to me like the atfe wants their attaboy award here just because the stolen item was a firearm. As far as firearm ownership goes, the RIGHT of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed thus, the atfe is actually criminal to the points of tyranny and treason, both of which carry a very final penalty. ANY law that goes against the constitution,… Read more »
F**k the atf and their extended families.
Why does ammoland dignify these assholes?
I don’t give one crap about their public relations pronouncements.
they should be on the express train to hell
GET RID OF THIS COLUMN
STOP PROMOTING ATF
REMEMBER WACO
Why did the ATF get involved with a single gun crime in Rapid City when 2000 have been shot this year in Chicago and no news of the ATF investigating?!?!?!?!?!?!
“The investigation is being conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Rapid City Police Department.”
There are posters here who insist local enforcers will not cooperate with federal enforcers to enforce future gun laws.
Local enforcers have cooperated, are cooperating, and will continue to cooperate with federal enforcers (even when the time comes for registration/confiscation), unless state law prohibts them from cooperating and unless state law removes their qualified immunity if they violate that law, and unless the state is prohibited from paying for the enforcers’ attorneys as well as any settlements/damage awards.
atf attempting to look like good guy ,locals contacted feds to check if stolen feds jump in because either was stolen in another state or from an ffl i do think we need a federal agency to help recover stolen property but the atf should be in the shi tcan of history and many of its members deported to canada or jailed their property dispersed to people illegally attacked for defending their rights